Animals were harmed in these films
Based on the life of Robert Roy MacGregor, a 17th-century Scottish outlaw who later became a folk hero, this historical biographical drama was filmed mostly in remote regions of the Highlands, in places like Glen Coe and Glen Nevis. 'Rob Roy' stars Liam Neeson as the eponymous kilted clan chief.
Regarded by many critics as one of the best films of the 1990s, 'Trainspotting,' directed by Danny Boyle, was shot in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Among the cast is Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, and Ewen Bremner.
Filmed on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, 'Whisky Galore!' centers on the inhabitants of a remote fictional island who salvage cases of whisky from a wartime shipwreck. Unfortunately, their thirst for adventure brings them into conflict with Customs and Excise officials. One of several Ealing comedies produced by the London-based Ealing Studios in the 1940s and '50s, the picture stars Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, and Gordon Jackson.
Sources: (Britannica) (World History Encyclopedia) (British Heritage Travel)
Hollywood A-lister Burt Lancaster created quite a stir when it was realized he'd be among the cast descending on the quiet village of Pennan on the Aberdeenshire coast to make 'Local Hero.' Other locations included Arisaig and Morar, in the Highlands.
This British folk horror film is a cult classic. It was shot almost entirely in the small Scottish towns of Stranraer, Gatehouse of Fleet, Newton Stewart, Kirkcudbright, Anwoth, and Creetown in Galloway. The dramatic finale featuring a huge blazing wicker man (pictured) was shot at Burrow Head, on the Machars peninsula. Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland head the cast.
The madcap Monty Python troupe decamped to Scotland to make 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail.' Doune Castle, Glen Coe, and Castle Stalker on Loch Laich provided the most picturesque backdrops.
Rosslyn Chapel and Rosslyn Castle in Midlothian, which lies in the east-central Lowlands, make appearances in the final part of 'The Da Vinci Code,' when Robert Landon (Tom Hanks) and Sophie (Audrey Tautou) both realize that she is the last descendant of Jesus Christ.
The Highlands of Scotland are among the filming locations used to make 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.' Ardverikie House, a beautiful 19th-century Scottish baronial house in Kinloch Laggan, Inverness-shire, provided an additional backdrop. Ewan MacGregor, Amr Waked, and Emily Blunt are among the cast in this comedy-drama.
James Bond's ancestral home is in Scotland, and for the finale of 'Skyfall' 007 (Daniel Craig) returns to Glencoe where M (Judi Dench) dies in his arms after a shootout with bad guy Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) and his henchmen.
Glasgow and Tantallon Castle in East Lothian is where this critically-acclaimed science fiction film is set. It stars Scarlett Johansson as an otherworldly woman who preys on men.
Helen Mirren's portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II was universally praised in this biographical drama. Among the numerous locations used for filming in Scotland were Balmoral Castle (one of the residences of the British royal family since 1852), Castle Fraser and Cluny Castle in Aberdeenshire, and Blairquhan Castle and Culzean Castle in South Ayrshire.
This above-average British thriller deserves better exposure for its taught storyline and outdoors action sequences. The film was shot at various locations in Scotland, including Glen Coe, Glen Etive, Strathconon, Dingwall, and Corrieshalloch Gorge, and stars Australian-American actress Melissa George.
Based in part on the 1886 novel 'Kidnapped' by Robert Louis Stevenson, this British adventure film stars Michael Caine as Alan Breck (1711–c. 1791), a real-life Scottish soldier and Jacobite. Shot almost entirely in Scotland, filming locations included Argyll, Mull, Culross, and Stirling Castle.
Edinburgh is the city where Jean Brodie (Maggie Smith) chooses to teach, at Marcia Blaine School for Girls, and where her tendency to stray from the school's curriculum brings her into conflict with other staff members.
Donald Sutherland is the Second World War German spy stranded with a local family on the fictional Storm Island in Scotland and desperate to return to Berlin with vital information about the upcoming D-Day invasion. Kate Nelligan costars in this drama, scenes of which were shot on the Isle of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides.
Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier's drama about a young woman (Emily Watson) whose love for her husband is tested after he's paralyzed following an industrial accident is set in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1970s. The Isle of Skye, Lochailort, Mallaig, and the beach in Morar number among the outdoor locations.
Roman Britain, and more specifically land north of Hadrian's Wall, is the setting for this epic historical drama starring Channing Tatum. Wester Ross and Loch Lomond are among the recognized Scottish filming locations.
Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull serves as the location of professional thief Robert MacDougal's hideout, the character played by Sean Connery in this entertaining crime caper. The retreat is also where Virginia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) practices her body-bending laser beam-dodging moves as the pair plan a complicated heist.
The Perth and Kinross areas of Scotland provided authentic locations for 'Mrs Brown,' which focusses on the recently-widowed Queen Victoria's relationship with her trusted servant, John Brown, a friendship that also brings scandal and turmoil. Judi Dench and Billy Connolly star.
The women in question, Cora (Helena Bonham Carter, pictured) and Ellen (Gina McKee), live in Edinburgh and are polar opposites in style and personality. But their differences in opinion and outlook don't stop the pair forging an unlikely friendship.
This British black comedy is an amusing take on the infamous true-life Burke and Hare murders that took place in Edinburgh in 1828. Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis star respectively as the body-snatching killers.
Peter Sellers is the timid accountant in an Edinburgh-based Scottish Tweed-weaving company who clashes with an American efficiency expert (Constance Cummings) hired to modernize the men-only working environment.
As its name suggests, this fantasy action-adventure is set in the Highlands of Scotland, with the scenic Eilean Donan Castle and its bridge featuring prominently in the film. Christopher Lambert is the immortal 16th-century Scottish Highlander whose mentor is fellow immortal Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez (Sean Connery).
Italian director Franco Zeffirelli's film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play features an ensemble cast headed by Mel Gibson and Glen Close. The ruined medieval Dunnottar Castle on the north-eastern coast of Scotland provided a suitably bleak location, while the 15th-century Blackness Castle on the Firth of Forth shoreline was also used to authentic effect.
Vanessa Redgrave's portrayal of Mary Stuart and Glenda Jackson's role as Elizabeth I (pictured) were both highly praised in this biographical drama. Besides French and English locations, the film made use of Hermitage Castle, known for its forbidding appearance and sinister reputation.
Despite its numerous historical inaccuracies, Mel Gibson's 'Braveheart' was a critical and commercial hit. Gibson appears in the film as William Wallace (c. 1270–1305), one of the principal leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. The atmospheric Scottish countryside provided the backdrop for many takes, though the major battle scenes were shot in Ireland.
Ted Danson and Joely Richardson star in this delightful tale about an American zoologist dispatched to Scotland to dispel the myth of the Loch Ness monster. To his surprise, he meets locals who really believe that there's a creature called "Nessie" patrolling the depths of the deep, dark lake.
With Hogwarts located in Scotland, dramatic Scottish scenery provided various backdrops across the eight movies in the Harry Potter franchise, particularly around Fort William and Glenfinnan in the Lochaber area of the west Scottish Highlands. 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' was the first to extensively use real-life locations: three sets for the film were built in Glen Coe, near the Clachaig Inn.
Alfred Hitchcock partly filmed 'The 39 Steps' in Scotland, which is where much of the original 1915 adventure novel 'The Thirty-Nine Steps' by John Buchan is set. Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll star in this early thriller from the "Master of Suspense."
Scotland has long attracted filmmakers to its majestic landscape of dramatic mountains and glens, emerald forests, and remote moorlands. The nation's craggy and indented coastline, too, has provided inspiring backdrops for numerous movies. And historic cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow also serve as a suitable stage for pictures with a grittier urban theme. No wonder Hollywood is drawn to the Highlands!
Click through and take a look at movies set in Scotland.
Memorable movies set in Scotland
Hollywood and the Highlands
MOVIES Films
Scotland has long attracted filmmakers to its majestic landscape of dramatic mountains and glens, emerald forests, and remote moorlands. The nation's craggy and indented coastline, too, has provided inspiring backdrops for numerous movies. And historic cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow also serve as a suitable stage for pictures with a grittier urban theme. No wonder Hollywood is drawn to the Highlands!
Click through and take a look at movies set in Scotland.